Pablo through Mediterranean Eyes

In this groundbreaking study of the First Letter to the Corinthians, Kenneth Bailey examines this canonical letter through Paul's Jewish socio-cultural and rhetorical formation and through the Corinthians' Mediterranean context.

Revealing the letter's roots in traditional prophetic Hebrew, its intentional theological organization, and its rhetorical reference to Near Eastern cultural practices, Bailey allows us to see the full perspective of Paul's response to a community in crisis.

Paul was a Hebrew among Hebrews, immersed in the knowledge of his people. But he was also a Roman citizen who had traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean basin. These two powerful currents converge in Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians.

"Ken Bailey is pure gold. I can't recall any other author who has contributed more, with such freshness and clarity, to the teaching of Scripture. What a gift to have his insights into Paul" John Ortberg, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church

"A rich and original study of I Corinthians, using ancient Middle Eastern sources to shed fresh light on this extraordinary epistle. We are indebted to Kenneth Bailey for this work of scholarship" Lord Carey, Former Archbishop of Canterbury